Austin Butler Tapped to Play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann Biopic

After many week of speculation, Austin Butler is officially playing Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrmannbiopic. The film also stars Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker. The biopic will cover the Presley’s journey to be coming a legend in music, with focus on Elvis’ relation with Parker. Deadline reports, the film will begin shooting next year in Queensland, Australia.

Luhrmann took his time making his selection, telling Deadline, “Throughout the casting process, it was an honor for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures.”

Luhrmann wrote the screenplay with Craig Pearce. He will direct and produce the film with Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss. Andrew Mittman will executive produce.